Picking Up the Pieces
by JasperLuver48
Summary: My contribution to the Fandom Fights Tsunami compilation. Jasper and Bella are together and in a good place when one phone call brings up a lot of past memories. How do they handle it?


**A/N: This was my submission for the Fandom Fights Tsunami compilation. I've reworked it a bit because I wasn't terribly happy with it and it's a bit inspired by the song Last Call by LeAnn Womack. **

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><p><em>Ring. Ring. Ring.<em>

I was almost fully asleep when I heard my phone ringing. I debated on whether or not to answer it but I realized that it could be important since it was almost one in the morning.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Alright, I'm coming…" I mumbled under my breath, hoping that the incessant ringing wouldn't wake up Jasper.

I'd started keeping my phone on the dresser across the room along with the alarm clock so that I would actually have to get my lazy ass up to stop the beeping in the mornings, otherwise I used to keep hitting snooze and was always late to class or work.

Once I reached the phone and saw the name flashing across the screen, my heart skipped a beat for just a moment before it sank into my stomach and I nearly choked on the breath I was taking.

_Edward calling…_

I grabbed the phone off the charger and sighed as I took it back to the bed with me. The ringing stopped for a moment and I felt bad for not answering, but then again, I already knew where he was and what he wanted from me.

I crawled back under the covers and Jasper began to stir. He rolled over to face me and gently pulled me closer to him. "Hey, baby," he murmured into my neck as he nuzzled my skin before kissing me. "Who was it?"

I hesitated slightly, not sure if I should tell him the truth. Jasper and I were finally in a really good place and I didn't want to mess that up, but then again, I didn't want to lie to him either. "It was Edward."

I could feel his heart immediately start beating faster. "What did he want?" he asked quietly, loosening his grip on my stomach.

I pulled him tighter against me, trying not to let him start with the guilt again. "I'm not sure…" I revealed slowly. "I didn't answer the phone."

Jasper rolled out of my grip and over on his back before covering his face with his hands.

"Bella, you probably should've answered it. What if he's in trouble?" Jasper asked me, concern clearly lacing his voice.

I rolled over into Jasper's side and placed my hand over his heart; I knew he needed the physical connection at that moment just as much as I did. "Jas, you and I both know where he was. The only time he calls me anymore is when he's at the bar, drunk and wallowing. I'm sure they are telling him it's time to go and he has no one to take him home tonight."

Jasper kissed my forehead. "How is he going to get home then? Bella, I really think you should call him back…"

"Baby, I know you still worry about him. He was your best friend for so long, but you've got to stop feeling guilty. He did this to himself…" I reminded him.

Edward used to be my boyfriend and Jasper was his best friend. We all got along so well and were a dynamic trio. I had always been attracted to Jasper as well but Edward was the one my heart belonged to. That is, until he got trashed one night and cheated on me with Rose, Jasper's sister.

She's tall, blonde and gorgeous— everything I'm not. Jasper walked in on them at her apartment and even though he felt terrible, he felt he had to tell me about it. He'd given Edward time to tell me but of course he didn't do it because he knew what would happen when I found out.

I broke up with Edward immediately after I found out, because the one thing I refused to tolerate was being cheated on. I knew he felt horrible for what he did but that didn't change the fact that he'd done it.

Jasper was there to help me pick up the broken pieces of my heart and eventually we both realized that we were perfect for each other. Jasper had a harder time with the whole situation than I did because he felt like he was betraying his best friend by stealing his girl.

I had to remind him over and over that I was no longer Edward's girl and that he had nothing to feel guilty about and eventually he was able to move forward with me, but he never really got over the guilt.

Edward, of course, threw a massive fit when he found out about the two of us; he refused to talk to Jasper ever again and called me every name in the book. I wasn't so bothered by it because I knew that Edward would react that way when he found out, but Jasper took it really hard.

He still does. Whenever Edward's name is brought up in conversation or we see him around town, Jasper gets all quiet and withdraws himself from the situation.

It was no different during that conversation. He turned over toward the wall and sighed before replying, "I know he did, but I still feel bad…"

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Is that him again?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah…"

"Are you going to answer it?"

"I wasn't planning on it."

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Will you answer it for me?"

"Uggggh… fine."

I pressed the talk button. "Hello…"

"_Bella?"_

"Yes, Edward… you called me. Can I help you?" I asked him, slightly annoyed.

"_I'm sorry, ma'am, this isn't Edward. He's actually passed out on the bar and we need to close up. You are the only person he talked about all night and the last person in his calls so we thought we'd give it a shot. Is there any way you can come get him?"_

I groaned loudly, visibly frustrated. "You've got to be fucking kidding me… What bar is he at?" I asked as I kicked the fucking covers off the bed and got out.

"_The Spider Monkey… on the corner of fourth and vine."_

"Okay, I'll be there in ten," I replied harshly and hung up the phone.

Jasper was still lying in bed, watching me angrily throw my clothes on. "What's going on?"

"Edward's passed out at The Spider Monkey and the bartender needs me to come pick him up. Apparently I'm the only person he talked about all night."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, get your ass up," I ordered. "You're coming with me."

"Bella, I don't think that's a good idea. It'll seem like we're flaunting our relationship in front of him. I'm not comfortable with that," he argued.

I practically jumped down his throat when he began to disagree with me. "Jasper, if he's passed out, I can't get him into the car or his house by myself. Plus, you asked me to answer the phone and now I'm obligated to go rescue him. You are not getting out of this; so get your ass up and put some clothes on."

Jasper's eyes grew wide in shock at my tone and he jumped up and quickly threw some jeans and a t-shirt on and we headed out the door.

It only took us five minutes to get there and the door was locked, so I pounded on it until a tall, Indian man walked up and unlocked it. He cracked it slightly and asked, "You here for Edward?"

"Yes," Jasper answered and the man opened the door the rest of the way for us.

"Sorry to disturb you so late but I can't go home until the bar is empty and he just kept babbling something about being a fucking idiot and screwing up with Bella. I didn't know who else to call," the bartender, Jake (according to his nametag), apologized.

"It's okay; can you help Jasper get him to the car?" I asked, not wanting to have to lift him if possible.

"Sure," he replied and then turned to holler back to the kitchen, "Hey, Embry, I'm gonna help them get the dude outta here."

"Cool," the dude in the back called out.

Edward was slumped over the bar with his arms across the back of his head. Jasper got on one side and Jake on the other and the lifted him off of the stool and carried him to the car.

Once he was lying down in the back seat, we got back in and drove straight to Edward's place. He had begun to stir as we were pulling into his driveway.

"Where am I?" he asked groggily as he tried to sit up, before he wobbled and fell back down.

"You're in my fucking car and we're outside your house," I answered him, anger laced in my words.

"Bella?" he asked, seemingly very confused. Jasper slouched down in the passenger seat but Edward caught his movement. "Jasper?"

"Yeah…"

"Why am I here?"

We filled him in on the details as we helped him into his house and onto his couch. He was very embarrassed but still totally drunk, so he slipped in and out of a conscious state. Jasper, being the good friend he always is, placed a glass of water and some Tylenol on the coffee table and covered him up with the blanket that was draped across the back of the couch.

We left Edward's place and headed home to sleep.

The next day, shortly after Noon, while we were eating lunch someone knocked on the apartment door. I got up and answered it, shocked to see Edward standing there. We were both quiet for a moment as we starred at one another and soon the silence became awkward. Jasper walked up behind me to see who was there. "Edward?" he questioned. "What are you doing here?"

He stood there sheepishly, staring at the ground and scratching the back his head nervously. "Uhm… I was hoping I could talk to the two of you," he mumbled quietly.

"Okay," Jasper agreed, stepping aside so he could walk in. I just stood there dumbfounded.

Edward walked over and sat down in the recliner, while Jasper led me over to the couch and we sat down.

"Was I dreaming or did you two take me home last night?" he asked.

"That was certainly not a dream. The bartender called and asked us to come remove you from the premises, so we did. Really it was Jasper that did most of the work," I reminded him.

"Why did you do that?" Edward asked Jasper, his voice was soft and had a vulnerable quality to it.

"You were my best friend for a lot of years, man; I couldn't just leave you there," he answered simply.

"Thanks…"

"Yeah."

We sat there, the heaviness of the situation weighing down on us all. "Was there anything else, Edward?" I asked, wanting to get the show on the road.

"I'm sorry, Bella; I know I never really apologized to you for what I did and I regret it every day. I can see you are happy with Jasper, and honestly if it's not me you're with, I'm glad it's him. He's a good man and he'll take care of you the way you deserve to be taken care of," Edward blurted out me.

"He _is_ a good man, Edward," I agreed, squeezing Jasper's hand. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah…" He nodded. "I miss you guys. Last night really opened my eyes and I want to try to be friends again. I miss my best friend and am willing to do whatever it takes to fix our friendship. I know I screwed up but I'm hoping you guys will forgive me."

Jasper and I looked at each other wide-eyed. I knew it was exactly what Jasper had been hoping would happen for a long time; he missed his friend, too. I tried to tell Jasper with my eyes that I'd support him in whatever he chose to do.

"Edward…" Jasper began slowly letting out a breath. "I miss you, too, but there has to be one major ground rule if we are going to try this. No tricks... I will not tolerate you trying to break Bella and myself up, is that understood?"

Edward agreed without hesitation and stayed for a while to watch a baseball game with Jasper.

It took some time getting used to having Edward around again, but he was true to his word and never tried to pull anything devious. Eventually, Jasper introduced him to Angela, a nice girl he worked with and they hit it off immediately.

The four of us spend a lot of time together these days and it seems like things have worked out for the best, finally. It only took one night of me giving in to Jasper's request for the whole situation to be resolved. If that bartender had called anyone else but me, we probably wouldn't be in a good place right now.

The one thing we all realized from this whole mess is that sometimes fate has its own plan and good things have to fall apart so better things can fall into place.

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><p><strong>Let me know what you think...<strong>


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